Veterans Day Prayers and Liturgy

Veterans Day began as a way to remember our nations veterans and to commemorate the end of World War 1.

Veterans Day 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1.

Because Veterans Day is on a Sunday this year, we invited Chaplain Jenna Wright Moon*, one of our WVUMC Clergy. to share liturgy that may be used in local churches on Sunday November 11th.

Call to Worship:

L: This nation, under God, depends on each generation accepting the call to serve both God and country.

P: Everywhere we look we are reminded of the commitment our veterans made in presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice.

L: So today we honor them as we shout a resounding….

P:THANK YOU!

L: THANK YOU! That we are free to come and to worship the One who presented His body as the ultimate living sacrifice for ALL.

P: Come, let us worship!

Opening Prayer:

Father, we could never thank our military men and women enough for their courageous service and sacrifice to our country and its people. Yet today we lift up our voices to express gratefulness and honor to these military troops both from the past and present. Show us ways in our communities, churches, and families to thank and love them better. Keep and protect these heroes and their families, in the powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer:

You, O God, are our God. You are with us in all the times of life to offer hope and light and comfort.

We come to you now with thanks: thanks for our freedom; thanks for our peace; thanks for our prosperity and security. On this Remembrance Sunday, we thank you, especially, for the women and men who gave of themselves in times of war to help to ensure the blessings that we enjoy. The names, the faces, the stories come to us, once again, and we honor them, their courage, their sacrifice, their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for a better cause.

May we never forget. We pray that wars and rumors of wars would cease, But if there is a need, let those of us of younger generations go forth as faithfully as did our ancestors that the cause of peace and justice may be defended and upheld. That freedom found in our county and the freedom found in and through Christ is always worth fighting for.

With our Freedoms today we pray for the sick of our congregation and community.

On this day, we lift up in prayer ….

Be with them and all of us offering healing and hope and strength to see beyond our problems to the glory of your Kingdom. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. who taught us to pray: Our Father…

Responsive Reading:

A Litany from The Book of Worship

for United States Forces (1974), no. 625

Leader: Let us give thanks to God for the land of our birth with all its chartered liberties. For all the wonder of our country’s story:

People: We give you thanks, O God.

Leader: For leaders in nation and state, and for those who in days past and in these present times have labored for the commonwealth:

People: We give you thanks, O God.

Leader: For those who in all times and places have been true and brave, and in the worlds common ways have lived upright lives and ministered to their fellows:

People: We give you thanks, O God.

Leader: For those who served their country in its hour of need, and especially for those who gave even their lives in that service:

People: We give you thanks, O God.

Leader: O almighty God and most merciful Father, as we remember these your servants, remembering with gratitude their courage and strength, we hold before you those who mourn them. Look upon your bereaved servants with your mercy. As this day brings them memories of those they have lost awhile, may it also bring your consolation and the assurance that their loved ones are alive now and forever in your living presence. Amen.

Quote:

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” —Joseph Campbell

*This liturgy was prepared by CPT Jenna Moon, the Chaplain of the 321st Ordnance Battalion in Cross Lanes, WV. She has been serving in the military for 16 years. She is the former pastor of three United Methodist churches in Grantsville MD. She is also the wife of Rev. Jonathan Moon who is the Associate Pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Charleston. She is the proud mother to a VERY energetic toddler named J.J. who loves discovering everything about the world around him.

Captain Jenna Wright Moon and Captain Chip Bennett, are both clergy in the West Virginia Conference and Military Chaplains to the West Virginia Army National Guard. We want to give thanks for them in their service and for retired State Chaplain, Brig. General Bruce Reed and retired Captain David W. Stilgenbauer, as well as all of those who serve as chaplains to our military service personnel and first responders.